Let's start out with a comparison of the new Shapeways Full Color Sandstone with the old variation, and a similar product from a different vendor.

Can you guess which one is which?
On the left we have the old FCS, in the center are prints from another company, and on the right is the new FCS.
Please note that for some reason the new FCS color palettes were printed sideways, which is why you see more printing lines there.

The new FCS is lying on top, if you didn't notice from the great quality.

Now, the only killing issue that occurred in this specific test. The surface which, I assume, was resting on the table, while the print was drying from it's finishing process, has random blobs of stuff and other dust on it. This is something you should take into account, as a designer, as it's not possible to have it floating around to dry. It seems to be an issue only when your resting area is large and flat, if you put an extruded border on the plane it will not be a noticeable issue.

Here follows, uncensored, all detailed pictures from the entire test range with relevant comments where needed.

The stuff clearly visible above.
Below, same item, other side, no issue of course.

First test, comparing how well suited the different variations of Dremel's abrasive buffs are for polishing.
This was tested using the Dremel SpeedClic 511S and 512S accessories.

(video will be attached later)

As you can see, the 511S ones easily grind their way trough the item, while the 512S remains nicely on the surface without doing any serious damage to details.

On the old Full Color Sandstone, it was possible to get a rather shiny result using the fine version, this seems not much different on the new FCS. It is slightly more difficult to get a shiny looking surface, though, as this was likely caused by the wax being spread out as well.

Using the 512S (320 grid) you can easily get rid of the harsh layering, and unpleasant surface feel, while still keeping the roughness, and not losing any detail.

While you can still notice the layers, they're less pronounced than before, if you compare with the previous pictures. The surface also feels a lot softer than it was originally. This is sufficient in most cases.

(video of polishing will be added later)

The keychain has been given to a test subject to see how long it holds out in normal usage.

I'd like to find a reliable way to make the surface look less "sparkly" (as shows in your picture), it looks too much as an afterthought. I'll probably look around for something that fills in the holes of the roughness without showing up too obviously as being a separate layer. There are a few things I have in mind for that, just need to check for some additional alternatives before I blow my budget on more useless things.

With the sparkly I mostly refer to the excessive spark that shows from putting gloss on a rough surface, which is an issue depending on lighting conditions, indeed. The problem is that this accentuates the layering even more, which the customer doesn't really like.

Keeping a rough surface like this, looks better with a soft finish than a gloss/matte varnish finish.

To make the gloss/matte coating finish look good, the roughness should be filled in with something before, so that it looks more consistent, and less cheaply handled.

I know it's possible to get a perfectly smooth glossy finish by doing:
- Polish the FCS to get rid of grain
- Apply a generous amount of CA
- Polish the CA layer as well, getting back close to the surface
- (And perhaps add an additional varnish coating, have not tried that yet)
But the CA is a bit unhandy, so I'd like to find an alternative that suits the needs more easily.

This is becoming confusing now. (As mentioned in other thread) check the material page and they show a picture of really faded blue (sky blue becomes dirty white), saying that water attacks the ink... but no info if that was before or after the CA, or if the water bath was some seconds or a full day.

With the old FCS it became white due to the wax on the surface and the water reacting poorly, but you could remove that white by applying heat. I didn't see such thing happening with the new FCS.
Video here http://youtu.be/QB5CZ7A-0_w, nothing happens.
Perhaps I should try with a darker object.

The noise in the color is caused by printing quality issues, and would probably not show up on a properly printed model.

The roughly exact procedure that was followed on this test piece is as follows:

Day 1:
Polish using Dremel 512S fine abrasive buff; model will feel soft rather than sandy after this
Spray with Motip Plastic Primer, everytime just two quick sprays on front, back, left, right, top, bottom; it'll look wet for a few seconds; not visible afterwards
Wait 1 hour
Spray with primer again
Wait 1 hour
Polish using Dremel again (can probably be skipped, makes no difference).
Spray with primer again
Wait 1 hour
Spray with primer again; you'll still see nothing of the primer afterwards

Great post and thanks for the detailed write up about the post processes that you tried. The glossy version looks fantastic, like glazed ceramics, although on this model a matte finish fits better I agree.
@shapeways: when will we finally be able to orient our work the way we want? I think it is the no1 wish for many.

Kaetemi, do you think this would work well for a model kept in water? I know "in water" is never ideal , but I'm making a snowglobe with a FCS model inside and hope to help the color last, at least for a little while.